Restaurateurs invest in Escondido

2 new dining establishments add to downtown scene

But they also wanted to be part of a community, and both grew up in Escondido. The opening in May of upscale Vintana — owned by one of Kerr’s former employers, Cohn Restaurant Group — at the Lexus Centre helped them decide to choose Escondido.

The couple’s vision was to create a restaurant that would “get people to want to stay and hang out,” Kerr said. “We didn’t want it to be too formal, (or) too casual. We wanted a relaxing, urban place.”

With wood tables, half booths, a “living room area” with armchairs and love seats, and vintage lighting, Kerr and McGee want guests to feel as though “they’re coming into (our) house and they’re (our) best friends in the world. We’re really just feeding people.”

Kerr wrote 150 new recipes for Entwined, including appetizers, flatbreads, pastas and desserts. The couple remodeled the Grand Avenue space with lots of help from family, and in under two months, they were ready to open.

“Coming from the corporate world … you had a team of people,” Kerr said. “Now it’s just us. … It’s easy to get carried away with your ideas. You have to know your limitations.I’m scared, but should be.”

Added McGee: “Sometimes you’ve got to just hold hands and jump.”

Lucio Di Pace, owner of Lucio’s An American Grill, shows off the outdoor grill on the Escondido restaurant’s back patio. CHARLIE NEUMAN • U-T